Tap Water Quality Report
Tap water quality in IOWA CITY, Iowa
Tap water in IOWA CITY, Iowa receives a grade of C (74/100) from TapWaterSafety.org. It's served by IOWA CITY WATER DEPARTMENT. The most significant water quality concerns are: Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline; Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline; Bromodichloromethane significantly above health guideline. Data sources: EPA SDWIS, EPA ECHO, EWG Tap Water Database.
What's in IOWA CITY's tap water
Top water quality concerns identified by the EPA and Environmental Working Group across the utility serving IOWA CITY.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 18.4 ppb, 307x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernTotal trihalomethanes (TTHMs) detected at 41.4 ppb, 276x above the EWG health guideline of 0.15 ppb.
Bromodichloromethane significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernBromodichloromethane detected at 11.8 ppb, 197x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
EPA compliance record
Official U.S. EPA records for IOWA CITY WATER DEPARTMENT (system ID IA5225079) for the last 3 years. Checked 2026-10-07.
Source: U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO), from the Safe Drinking Water Information System. See EPA's full report.
Recommended filters for IOWA CITY
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in IOWA CITY's water supply.
Carbon filter certified for VOCs (NSF/ANSI 53)
$180-$599Activated carbon is effective for disinfection byproducts. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 VOC reduction.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
All contaminants detected in IOWA CITY's tap water
Every contaminant identified, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal. Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
18.4 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 307× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
41.4 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 276× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
11.8 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 197× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
8.2 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 82× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
2.36 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 79× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
7.75 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 78× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
19.6 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 49× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
5.38 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 27× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.429 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 21× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
1.93 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 14× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.896 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 9.0× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
1.8 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 3.6× over |
| Vanadium Other |
2.26 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
0.8 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 2,4-D Pesticide/Herbicide |
0.167 ppb | 20.0 | 70.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
0.4 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
0.557 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.0701 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 1-Butanol Other |
3.75 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Dalapon Pesticide/Herbicide |
0.2 ppb | — | 200.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.706 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Lithium Other |
18.0 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines, California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
Treatment plant contact info
For service issues, water quality concerns, or to request a Consumer Confidence Report from IOWA CITY WATER DEPARTMENT.